


i would have followed you...

by dxggorylives



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Everyone Is Alive, F/M, M/M, Multi, Touring, roadie!willie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27750580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dxggorylives/pseuds/dxggorylives
Summary: ‘For one night, and one night only: Julie and the Phantoms LIVE at Covington’s!’Aka ; A freshly-signed Julie and The Phantoms are sent off on the road on their first ever tour, but Alex's focus on The Music™ is momentarily derailed when he accidentally, and very suddenly, falls head over heels for a hot bartender at one of their venues along the way, who's kind of hit a dead-end in life.Long story short, Alex is resourceful when he wants something, Willie's game for an adventure, and the band just got their very own roadie.
Relationships: (eventually and in the background for the most part), Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 11
Kudos: 103





	i would have followed you...

_‘For one night, and one night only: Julie and the Phantoms LIVE at Covington’s!’_

Caleb had mentioned it in passing at their staff meeting last week that Willie had admittedly, up until that point, been struggling to pay attention to. But _that_ had made his ears prick up. Though the news that they were going to be hosting a new up-and-coming touring band that was blowing through town was exciting, Willie had tried to keep his expectations low. He didn’t want to raise them for the chance of something actually exciting or different happening around there for once, only to end up being let down when the band were more of the same of what they already had going on. 

Not that he didn’t like jazz, or think big band music was cool. He did work in a cabaret bar after all, if he didn’t enjoy it at least somewhat he’d go nuts. Out of everyone that worked here he actually probably got on best naturally with some of the people in the house band, if only because he’d been bartending there the longest out of any of their current bar staff (which said a _lot_ about staff turnover considering he was only 21) and so he could empathise with them when it came to Caleb’s tyrannical management style. _He_ just counted himself lucky he could hide behind a bar and spend his shift interacting with customers rather than actually having to perform with the guy.

So yeah, nothing against big band music. It just wasn’t really his thing.

 _This_ band, however, seemed to be more his speed. The group in general, or at the very least the cute blond guy he saw milling around the day they arrived as they began getting everything set up. He could easily presume he was the drummer, judging by the sticks hanging out of his back pocket.

Willie had been given the opening shift, which meant being responsible for all the little jobs like restocking all the fridges, cleaning glasses, and checking they had enough of everything for when the bar opened. He honestly didn’t mind it for the most part - he got to get away a little earlier and didn’t have to help with clean-up at the end of the night.

Usually when he was working this one he’d connect his phone to the speaker and blast some music, get himself pumped and energised for the night ahead. Also, he’d always found there was a certain eeriness about a fully-lit club space in the middle of the day, devoid of patrons and the comforting shroud of low-lighting, flowing drinks, and deafening music all working together that just made you want to move. At least turning on some music helped the place feel a little less… _dead_.

Turns out he didn’t need it today though. 

Willie watches with mild interest from behind the bar as ‘Julie and the Phantoms’ go about lugging in and eventually starting to set up all their equipment, bickering with each other one moment but filling the room with laughter the next. It’s like as soon as they showed up the place just sort of came alive of its own accord. It’s clear in their banter how close they all are, and Willie finds himself smiling along as they joke with each other. The energy’s infectious. He’s happy to have some company, where he’d usually do this alone.

His eyes follow cute blond drummer boy as he trudges back towards the door, just as his path crosses with the one who Willie was mentally referring to as ‘leather jacket’ as he came back inside. It was just a ‘thing’ he did, being awful as he was at remembering names he would constantly refer to people by either nicknames or defining characteristics he associated with them in his own mind. The kid he’d sat next to on the first day of elementary school wore a t-shirt with a cartoon picture of a hot dog on it _one day_ and then suddenly Willie had a best friend for ten years he only ever referred to as ‘Hot Dog’.

Leather Jacket is clearly struggling with the case he was trying to carry, and Willie’s eyebrows furrow in concern, even if the sight was a _little_ bit funny because he was being so goofy about it. Setting aside the glass he’d been drying, he calls out,

“Hey, buddy!-'' Leather Jacket’s head immediately whips around towards him, like he hadn’t even known he was there. “You gotta lift with your knees carrying something that heavy or you’ll throw your back out”. Instead of adjusting, the guy just lets the case drop from his arms with a sudden _thud_ and he straightens up. Willie chuckles, shaking his head. “Or do that, that works too”.

Leather Jacket shrugs the ache out of his shoulders, watched on with amusement by his other two bandmates from the stage (‘Orange Beanie’ and ‘Smiley Sweater’ respectively). He bends down with a dramatic flourish, looking decidedly determined, and ‘lifts with his knees’. When he gets the case to the stage, he breaks out in a smile and turns back towards Willie, genuinely thanking him for the tip as Beanie and Sweater give him a teasing round of applause.

“I’m Reggie, by the way”.

“Luke!” Orange Beanie chimes in, throwing his hand up.

“And I’m Julie”.

Willie beams, pointing to Julie. “Okay _yours_ should be easy enough to remember, what with the…” he trails off, gesturing at all the posters on the walls with ‘JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS’ printed in large, unmissable script. “I’m Willie”.

And because he just can’t help himself…

“What about that other guy?" he asks, trying to exude a certain degree of nonchalance. "The one that was in here a second ago”.

“Oh, that’s Alex-” Luke pipes up, jumping off the stage after having just assembled one of their mic stands. 

“He’s a _little_ bit precious about who gets to carry in his drum kit” Reggie cuts in, making sort of an ‘ _oh, what is he like?_ ’ expression, which Luke levels with a shrug.

“To be fair, that’s only after you dropped one of the boxes back in San Diego…”.

“Oh c’mon, man! There was that seagull that had it in for me - you _saw_ how close it flew to my head…”

Willie snorts with laughter and shakes his head as the two boys continue rallying back and forth, before reluctantly returning to what he was doing because he _knew_ Caleb would have it in for him if everything wasn’t done. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t distracted; still half paying attention to what they were all doing even as he crouched down to start refilling the mini-fridges, comforted somewhat by the sound of people around him just having fun with each other even though they were working. It made for a refreshing change of pace, where Caleb tended to rule with an iron fist and so they were pretty strictly ‘all business’ around here usually. 

When he pushes himself to his feet again, he gets a bit of a shock when he finds cute blond drummer boy ( _Alex_ , his name is, _Alex_ , dummy) standing pretty much right in front of him, only he had his back to Willie and was leaning forward against the railings that separated the bar area from the booths on the ground level below. Willie pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, briefly pondering what exactly his next move should be. He _definitely_ wanted to talk to the guy, but also _definitely_ didn’t want to seem weird or contrived about it.

Sometimes he gets these impulsive little urges, surges of adrenaline in his veins that just sort of wash away or block out any apprehension he may be feeling and send him headfirst into whatever it was he was _wanting_ to do but was dithering over. They have the power to backfire (and definitely have in the past) but at the same time have also led him to some of the best experiences he’s ever had.

Willie feels that feeling rise within him now, and before his brain can catch him, his mouth has called out a brusque “Hey!” in Alex’s direction.

The poor guy practically jumps out of his skin, cursing as he whips around, hand flying to grip his chest. Which was... not exactly the desired reaction.

 _Suddenly,_ painfully, _Willie’s reminded of that time he got one of his ‘feelings’ and ended up in the ER with a dislocated shoulder after wiping out on his skateboard trying to boardslide the handrails in Encanto Park. In his defense, Dylan Reikurt from his history class had been there and Willie was powerless against the desire to impress him._ He’d _been blond too._

If he was capable of anything though, it was laughing something off.

“Dude, your face!” he said, chuckling as Alex approached the bar. “You didn’t hear me clinking all those bottles around? Or even, like, see me as you were coming in and out?”.

Alex looks briefly lost for words (or maybe he’s just trying to catch his breath), though his expression quickly softens away from irritation when he catches Willie’s eye. “No! You must’ve been a lot more stealthy than you give yourself credit for”.

He appears to shake of the last dregs of the stress, before turning to Willie again.

“I’m Alex, by the way”.

“Oh yeah, your bandmates already tattled on you. I’m Willie”

Alex nods, face lit up with a gentle smile but Willie could feel the nervous energy practically radiating off him as he shifts his weight from foot to foot, his fingers drumming incessantly on the side of his leg. “So… what do you do around here?”

Willie pauses for a second, caught slightly off guard by the question. He wonders momentarily if he’d meant it as a joke and was about to reply equally sarcastically, but something about the look in Alex’s eyes catches him before he does. _No,_ the fact that he was being serious made him _so_ much cuter.

Willie gestures to where he’s standing. Behind the bar. His eyes narrow and lips twitch upwards in a smirk. It takes a second, but suddenly Alex catches on and he rolls his eyes at himself. “Yep. Got it. Probably could have assumed that”.

“Nah, you’re good. I’m just the guy that gets all these people drunk enough to cheer _extra_ loud after your set and buy out all the copies of your demo you brought with you”.

“Now, you see, _that_ is the lifeblood of the music industry. Where would we be without you, man?”.

Willie jokingly laps up the praise. “So you’re a drummer, then? That’s pretty cool”.

That now-familiar look of puppy dog-like confusion crosses Alex’s face again. “Yeah I am, how did you kn-” He doesn’t even get to finish the thought, or need Willie to clue him in, before he’s cringing at himself _again_ and pulls his sticks out of his back pocket. “Would you believe me if I told you I’ve slept like five hours total in the last thirty six?”

Willie’s eyes shine with kindness and it makes Alex’s posture relax from the rigid, slightly awkward way he’d been holding himself. “Don’t worry about it. Your friends may _also_ have mentioned that too. Something about you being ‘precious’ about your drum kit…”

Out of nowhere, the sound of a cymbal clattering to the ground pierces through the air. Willie winces against the harshness of the sound, and Alex looks back at his bandmates over his shoulder, mildly horrified. When he turns back around, his expression is withering. Willie just laughs, dipping down into a fridge and pulling out an ice cold bottle of water. He hands it to Alex, and a look of silent understanding passes between them.

“He loves us really!” Luke yells in the direction of the bar, only to be shoved by Julie and shot a wide-eyed, meaningful look that neither Willie nor Alex catch.

Willie glances back to Alex, and reluctantly concedes that the moment is probably gone, no matter how much he wanted to hold onto it for just a little bit longer. “So… I’ll let you get back to it” he says, gesturing towards the half-assembled set. “I think you’re a little behind now”.

Even though Alex nods he still lingers for a noticeable beat. When he does start to walk away, he only manages a couple of paces before spinning back around. “You’re gonna be here for the show tonight, right?”.

Willie’s cautious to presume what he heard in Alex’s tone to be hope, but no matter what it was it lit a spark of excitement in his chest.

“I wouldn’t miss it”.

**Author's Note:**

> hey! so this is going to be my first multi-chap fic for JATP (possibly a series?), which all spurned from this late-night thought i had, then half-consciously outlined on my tumblr here: https://edgeofalex.tumblr.com/post/635643863938301952/i-was-about-to-sleep-but-i-had-a-thought-and-had
> 
> this is obvs only chapter one, and i'm planning on three total chapters to cover this initial part of their story.
> 
> hope you guys enjoyed the first part! and please let me know what you think, the feedback really does provide so much encouragement and motivation to continue, y'all have no idea lol.
> 
> as stated above, you can find me on tumblr @edgeofalex ♥
> 
> thanks for reading!


End file.
